The Guardian Chronicles: When callings collide
by screaminheathen69
Summary: Tru Davies witnesses a fight. Between two people using swords. When one dies and day two begins, she finds herself drawn into a world stranger than even she thought possible.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: Tru Davies witnesses a fight. Between two people using swords. When one dies and Day Two begins, she finds herself drawn into a world stranger than even she thought possible.

Crossover: Highlander, Tru Calling

Notes: Tru Calling was yet another show that Fox cancelled before its time. The bums. This is the first in a series of fics, continuing the storyline established in 'What are we gonna do now?' and 'Did somebody say something about not fading away?'. This takes place somewhere around April of '05.

Disclaimer: 'Tis the familiar lament: Theirs, not mine. More's the pity...

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THE GUARDIAN CHRONICLES : WHEN CALLINGS COLLIDE

By screaminheathen69

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Chapter the First

Tru Davies was fed up. Well and truly. _Frickin' Jack. Oughta just shoot the bum. _She sighed tiredly. _Nahh, the day'd just rewind. Stupid destiny. Stupid Jack. Stupid... Whuzzat? _Tru was walking along the boardwalk, breathing the fresh sea air and trying to clear her head. Somewhere ahead in the darkness, she could hear what sounded like metal clashing.

She walked toward the sounds, and stopped dead in her tracks, dumbfounded. _You have _got_ to be kidding me! Are they actually fighting with swords? _Sure enough, two people were fighting down on the beach. It was like watching a martial arts flick. These people definitely knew what they were doing. Tru watched the swordplay, fascinated. It didn't take her long to realise that this was for real, that whoever these two were, they were trying to kill each other. She fumbled for her cell phone, thinking she should probably call 911.

One of them, a short blonde woman, said something that obviously irritated her opponent. Tru couldn't hear what was said over the noise of the surf and the clash of the swords, but it must have been a doozy. The tall man redoubled his efforts, enraged. She smiled, the result obviously having been exactly what she'd been hoping for.

They traded blows, thrusting and parrying so blurringly fast that Tru could barely keep up with them. She fumbled around and managed to misdial 911. Cursing, she cleared the numbers and tried again, one eye still on the fight.

The young woman went on the offensive, using her superior speed to keep her opponent guessing, then jumped, flipping over his head intending to land behind him and finish it.

But she didn't fool him for a second. He knew exactly what she was doing, and when she landed, his sword was already on it's way to her neck. Her head flew off, eyes wide with shock, landing a few yards away in the sand as her body hung there for a few seconds, then collapsed.

Tru fought down the bile that was rising in her throat, trying to focus on her phone to dial 911.

Which is when things got even weirder.

Jagged bolts of what looked like lightning started playing over the woman's body, striking out at the surroundings and hitting the man repeatedly. He didn't try to get away from it, instead standing there, a look of rapture on his face as he was struck again and again. Tru dropped her phone as it suddenly grew hot, overloading due to the ambient energy being cast off by whatever was going on. Tru finally had to duck, throwing her arms over her head as a random bolt struck the light above her, causing it to explode in a shower of sparks.

When Tru finally dared to look again, the man was gone. Standing up, she stuck her head out of the alley she'd taken cover in, and could see him quickly making his way on down the boardwalk. Shaking her head in wonder, she made her way over to the body laying in the sand. _And I thought my life couldn't get any stranger..._

She knelt down and started searching for the woman's ID, finally finding it in one of her coat pockets:

BUFFY SUMMERS

VICE PRESIDENT, GUARDIAN INC.

_Man, and I thought _I _had it bad. Who names their kid Buffy? And why would the VP of a corporation be running around with a samurai sword? She looks like she's in her twenties, so where's her driver's liscence?_

Making sure she memorised the phone number on the ID, Tru got up to go find a payphone, pausing to glance down at Buffy's head. The look of shock was frozen there, and Tru grimaced at the sight. W_onder what the deal was with those two... _

No matter how many times it happened, Tru Davies would never get used to what happened next. The eyes opened and looked straight at her.

_"Help me..."_

Tru sat bolt upright in her bed. Sure enough, the day had rewound. She sat there, still stunned at what she had witnessed, wondering just how the Hell she was supposed to stop Buffy Summers from getting her head lopped off. She sat on the edge of her bed with her head cradled in her hands, trembling.

"Oh, geez, what kind of insane-o crap have I gotten into _this_ time?"

* * *

I killed Buffy again... _hehehe..._

This'll be continued, eventually. I hope. You would not _believe_ the case of writer's block I've had on this fic. Probably doesn't help that I'm working on a Stargate Atlantis/Battlestar Galactica (original) crossover, or that since Sci-fi started showing the new Doctor Who episodes I've been kinda caught up in that, as the fic I wrote will attest to. And then there's that book I'm trying to write. (Whose good idea was _that_? Oh yeah. Mine. Oi...)

So, anyhoo, please be patient with me. I haven't given up on this storyline, I just need to take a big stick to my muse to get her back on track.

Later ;)

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_'To thee no star be dark...'_


	2. Chapter 2

Summary: Tru witnessed Buffy losing her head to another Immortal, and now day two has begun.

Notes: Sorry about the long delay. My computer crashed, and took all my notes with it when it nosedived. Good idea, that backing up. Wish I'd thought to do it _before_ everything went blooey. I'm slowly picking up the pieces, and rethinking things in the process, so updates may be short and kinda spread out for a while.

Disclaimer: Wish I did own it. If I did, I'd buy myself a shiny new computer that hopefully wouldn't crash on me...

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THE GUARDIAN CHRONICLES : WHEN CALLINGS COLLIDE

By screaminheathen69

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Chapter the Second

Tru was pacing. Seriously pacing. You know, the kind of pacing where you start wearing a hole in the rug? _That _kinda pacing. You'd think that after the last year or so, there wouldn't be anything that could possibly freak her out. Relive enough days, save enough people from dying, you'd get all jaded-like, right?

Wrong.

'Cause, how does one prepare oneself for the sight of a girl getting her head lopped off by some insane swordsman? Or for the lightning that came shooting out of her neck _after_ the lopping? Hmm?

Yeah. That's what I thought...

So she paced. And freaked. And paced some more.

Did I mention the freaking?

So, after much pacing (and let's not forget the all important freaking), Tru got a grip and sat herself down with an extremely strong cup of coffee to try to figure out just how the Hell she was going to save young miss Buffy Summers from that whole lopping off of the head thing.

_Okay. Right. Whole new level of weird, but I still have a job to do. Stupid destiny. _Tru rested her head on the table, thinking fast. _Wait. The business card. What was the phone number on the card? _She thumped her head against the table a few times trying to jog her memory. _Two numbers. There were two numbers. Which one was the cell number?_

She glanced at the clock. _Six forty-six in the blessed A.M._

Tru took a deep breath, then punched in the number. "Hope she's up..."

Buffy slowly woke up to the sound of her cell phone ringing. She looked at the clock, blinking to clear her bleary eyes. "Seven forty six? I was out slaying 'til four thirty, for cryin' out loud!" She fumbled around on the nightstand until her hand encountered the offending object. Flopping back on the pillow, she thumbed the receive button. "World'd better be ending!"

_"Huh?"_

"Yeah, sorry, hi. Who is this?" Buffy thought the voice sounded familiar, but she just wasn't awake enough to place it yet.

_"Sorry to bother you this early. Am I speaking to Buffy Summers?"_

Buffy finally placed the voice. "C'mon, Faith. It's too damn early in the morning for this. I was out slaying 'til four thirty."

_"Slaying? Uhhh..."_

"Whaddaya want, Faith? Before I have Dawn come over and thump you in the head." It was just too early for Faith's oddball sense of humor.

_"I'm sorry, but I'm not Faith. My name is Tru Davies. It's very important that I speak with Buffy Summers. Life and death important. Look, if I've got the wrong number..."_

"No, no. I'm Buffy. You sure you're not Faith? 'Cause, you sure sound like her."

_"Positive. Been Tru all my life."_

"Huh. Weird. Sorry I bit your head off back there. Had a late night."

_"What with the slaying and all?"_

"Ummm..."

_"Would that have anything to do with sword fighting maybe_? _Or lightning shooting out of peoples necks after they get their heads cut off?"_

Buffy was _very _wide awake by now. "Sometimes. I try to avoid it whenever I can. I take it you maybe saw something like that?"

_"Yeah, you could say that..."_

"Well, I guess the next question would be 'why did you call me?' And at this ungodly hour of the morning..."

_"Sorry about that. Well, fact is, this actually concerns you. Um, would it be possible for us to meet? It'd be easier to explain this face to face."_

"Yeah, I guess so. Would eight o'clock work for you?"

_"Sure."_

"I'm at the Hilton. There's a Denny's down the block. Why don't we meet there? I need breakfast. And coffee. Lots and lots of coffee." Buffy figured someplace public should be safe, and you don't get much more public than Denny's during breakfast hours.

_"Sounds good. See you there."_

Buffy clicked off, then sat there staring at her phone. She was sure that it wasn't Faith, she'd reached out through the Wiccan Mind Meld and checked in with Faith and Willow, so there was no doubt there. The only question now was who this Tru Davies was. _Probably an Immortal out for my head, with my luck. Hope our Resident Goddess can dig something up before I leave._

She shrugged and headed for the shower. Whatever else might happen today, she was looking forward to breakfast. She could always pack it away at Denny's. Wonderful things, those grand-slam breakfasts.

Tru took a quick shower, then headed out. The Denny's they were meeting at was across town, so she wanted to give herself some extra time to get there.

And, once again, she was wandering just what kind of insane-o crap she'd gotten herself into this time.

_Stupid calling, anyway...

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_

_To be continued..._

_'To thee no star be dark...'_


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Umm... I've run out of snarky comments for the disclaimer portion of the program. Guess if I was makin' any money offa these, I could go buy some...

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THE GUARDIAN CHRONICLES : WHEN CALLINGS COLLIDE

By screaminheathen69

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_Chapter the Third_

Tru Davies had witnessed some amazing things over the course of the last two years. But nothing that had come before had prepared her for what she had just witnessed.

The sight of this tiny little woman, one Buffy Summers, demolishing three, yes, count 'em, _three_ Grand-Slam breakfasts in just under fifteen minutes.

Not to mention the two pots of coffee. Or the extra plate of hash-browns on the side. Or the four glasses of orange juice.

Okay, so I mentioned them. Anyhoo...

Buffy sat her now empty plate on top of the stack teetering at the edge of the table and finished off her (fifth) orange juice. "So. You re-live days so that you can keep people from dying that aren't supposed to."

Tru nodded, still a bit wide-eyed.

"And you're telling me that tonight I'm going to get an extremely severe and unflattering hair cut."

"Yeah. That's pretty much the gist of it. And what's up with the whole lightning storm thing, anyway?"

Buffy waved a hand dismissively. "Long story. I'll fill you in later. After I _don't _get de-headified." She cast a tired look upward. "What, dying four times isn't enough?" Tru's eyes got even bigger.

Buffy had already decided to trust Tru. Before coming to Denny's, she'd called Willow and had her check her mystery caller out. Willow and Althenea had done a quick spell and discovered what Tru's Calling was. Althenea had read of the Time-Jumpers, but had always thought them to be a myth.

And Buffy could certainly sympathize with Tru. Having a Calling thrust upon you like that was _such_ a pain in the ass.

"Alright. Four times is enough. How's about you fill me in on whatever you can remember about the fight. Maybe I can figure out where I went wrong, 'cause I'm pretty sure that number five is gonna be pretty final."

Tru thought about it for a minute. "Well, I'm no expert on sword fighting, but you two seeemed pretty evenly matched." She closed her eyes, replaying the fight in her mind. "He was very focused. Very determined. I don't think I heard him say a word. You... Well, you seemed like you were having fun. Playing with him."

Tru opened her eyes. "In fact, you were downright cocky."

"Cocky?"

"Yeah. You were, well, showing off is the only way to put it. You did this fancy flip over his head. When you hit the ground, he was already swinging his sword. You never had a chance."

Buffy frowned. "Cocky. Duncan and Giles both keep telling me to stop being over-confident."

Tru grinned. "Sounds like they know what they're talking about."

Buffy pulled a face, then smiled back. "Yeah. But don't tell them I said so."

She sat there for a minute, toying with her now empty glass. "Okay. So I need to be less cocky. Concentrate on the fight, no showing off. Try to end it as quickly as possible."

Tru gave a half shrug. "Sounds about right. Like I said, I'm not an expert on sword-fighting or anything."

"Neither was I. Once upon a time." She sighed, wistfully. "What time is this supposed to go down?"

"It was around seven-thirty tonight. Give or take a little. I was too busy dodging lightning bolts to check my watch at the time."

Buffy nodded. "Well, I guess maybe I'll go get some practice in. Might help me to be a little sharper tonight."

As Buffy dug out change for the tip, Tru stood up. "Do you mind if I come with? I kind of have to see this thing through."

Buffy made a 'sure, what the heck' face. "Fine by me." She grinned. "You can be my sparring partner," she said over her shoulder as she headed off to pay the bill.

Tru froze for a second, then shrugged. "Umm, okay..."

_To be continued...

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_

_'To thee no star be dark...'_


	4. Chapter the Fourth

Disclaimer: Oh, heck, you know what this part's all about.

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THE GUARDIAN CHRONICLES : WHEN CALLINGS COLLIDE

By screaminheathen69

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_Chapter the Fourth_

"Is this guy ever gonna get here?" Buffy hunched into her coat a bit more and shivered. It wasn't terribly cold for early April, but she _was_ a California girl, after all.

Tru shrugged. "I guess. Of course, I don't know where you two actually ran into each other, either."

"Swell. Hey, maybe we won't run into each other at all! Maybe you having warned me and causing me to change my plans for the day will keep us from meeting," she said hopefully.

Tru scrunched up her face. "Maybe, but I doubt it. It's never that simple."

"How's that?" Buffy asked.

Her new friend leaned against the wall and sighed. "Okay, it's like this. You know how I relive days to keep people from dying?" Buffy nodded. "Well, apparently, some 'higher power' decided there should be a balance. So I'm not the only one that re-lives days."

Tru started pacing. "There's this guy named Jack. He re-lives days too. Only he has a _different_ job. He has to make sure that the person I'm supposed to save goes ahead and dies." She stopped and looked at Buffy. "He is _such_ a pain in the ass."

"Most guys named Jack are," Buffy said with a little grin. Tru shot her a funny look. Buffy laughed and waved her hand. "Sorry. My boyfriend's name is Jack. He's a great guy, but..."

"Total pain, huh?"

"Generally. But he makes up for it," Buffy said, waggling her eyebrows.

Tru chuckled. "Yeah, that does tend to make up for a lot, doesn't it?" Buffy gave an exaggerated nod, grinning toothily. They both laughed at that for a minute, then settled back in to wait.

Tru peeked around the corner, giving the area around them a good once over. Buffy quirked an eyebrow. "That's about the umpteenth time you've done that. I told you, I'll be able to feel this guy coming."

"Huh? Oh, right. No, I'm trying to spot Jack. I just _know_ that bastard is around here. Somewhere." She pulled a face as a thought occurred to her. "In fact, knowing him, he'll bring Sir Chops-A-Lot right to you."

"Who's Sir Chops-A-Lot?" asked a new voice. From behind them. In the dead end alley where there shouldn't be a new voice.

Tru "Eeped!" and spun around to see who belonged to the new voice. She found a red head standing there, grinning and waving.

Buffy tried hard not to laugh at the bug-eyed expression Tru was sporting. "Tru Davies, Willow Rosenburg, our Resident Goddess. Willow, Tru Davies, Liver of the Re-Wound Days."

Willow stuck her hand out and Tru shook it, still trying to get her breathing under control. "Hi! Pleased to meet you."

"Umm. Yeah. You too," Tru stammered. She was looking over Willow's shoulder, trying to spot where she'd popped up from. "Where'd you pop up from?"

Willow waved her hand. "Teleported in. Buffy, I think you're in trouble. According to what we've managed to dig up, there'll be another Time Jumper trying to make sure you die."

Buffy shrugged. "We've already covered that. Tru's been keeping an eye out for him."

"Oh. Well, good. Mind if I stick around?"

Buffy shrugged again. "Might as well. You okay there, Tru?"

"Umm... Teleported?"

"Yup," said Willow.

"Resident Goddess?"

Buffy just nodded, smiling. Willow shrugged and grinned.

"And by Goddess you mean..."

"Goddess. As in died, ascended, became a god, and came back down to keep fighting the good fight."

Tru stood there and pondered that for a bit. Buffy and Willow waited patiently, still smiling. They couldn't help it. It was fun to watch peoples reactions.

"So. Let me get this straight. _You_," she pointed at Buffy, "are an Immortal Vampire Slayer."

"Yup."

"And _you_," she pointed at Willow, "are a _God_?"

"Well, yeah" said Willow, considering. She started ticking off points on her fingers. "I'm also a computer hacker, an uber-witch, a best friend..."

"Lesbian," chipped in Buffy.

"...I was getting to that. Also a lesbian."

Tru just stood there, trying to take it all in. "When this is all over, promise me you guys will fill me in on the rest, okay?"

Buffy chuckled again. "If I can keep this guy from chopping my head off, we'll all go find a nice quiet bar, get bombed, and swap war stories. Deal?"

"Deal." Tru shook her head. _Just when I thought my life couldn't possibly get any more bizarre. _She noticed that Willow was looking at her closely. "What?"

"Sorry." She glanced at Buffy. "We have _so _got to get her and Faith in the same room."

Buffy shot her a huge grin. "I know. And then we need to get Robin to walk in." Willow snorted at that thought.

Tru was looking down the street again. Nope. Still deserted. "Do I really look that much like this Faith chick?"

"Hang on a second," Buffy said as she dug into one of her coat pockets. "Here." She handed Tru a picture. It had been taken about a month or so ago, a few days after Willow's return. The whole Sunnydale crew was crowded around Faith, Robin and Willow, who was holding Hope and Joy.

"Wow. Weird." Tru stared at it for a minute, then handed it back to Buffy. "You all sure look happy there."

Willow took the picture from Buffy and was looking at it fondly. "It was the first time I got to see the babies after I got back from Heaven."

Tru turned a wide-eyed stare on the redhead. "Heaven?"

"Told you I died. Went upstairs, met God, spent a few months gettin' all Goddess-ified."

Tru continued staring at her for a bit. "I am getting _such_ a headache..." She went back to looking for Jack.

Buffy started to say something, then froze. "He's close. I can feel him."

Tru was pointing down the street. "He's over there." Buffy and Willow joined her peeking around the corner.

Buffy curled up her lip. "Ooo... isn't he just handsome?"

Willow snorted again. "If by 'handsome' you mean 'fugly', then yes. Want me to zap him for you?"

Buffy sighed. "That would be lovely. But you know the rules as well as I do."

"Rules were meant to be broken."

"Maybe so, but I don't think I want to push my luck. This guy's already killed me once."

Willow waved a hand. "Pfft. Never stopped you before."

"Always a first time." She gave Willow a hug and squeezed Tru's hand. "Guess I'll go introduce myself."

Buffy strode out boldly to meet her fate. The man stood there, looking her over as she closed the distance between them. She stopped six feet away from him and returned his gaze. "I'm Buffy Summers of the Clan Summers. And you are?" It occured to her that it was possible that she'd been spending just a wee bit too much time around Duncan. And that she didn't pull off that line nearly as well as he did.

The man quirked an eyebrow and sketched a small bow. "Tarsus."

"Just Tarsus?"

He inclined his head. "It's the only name I've ever needed."

"Huh. So. I suppose we hafta do the whole 'there can be only one' thing now."

"Such _is_ the requirement of The Game."

Buffy gave an indifferent shrug. "'Cause, seriously, I'd be just as happy if we went somewhere and had a cup of coffee and forgot the whole damn thing."

Tarsus smiled. "All things being equal, I would gladly accept your invitation."

"Buuuut..."

"But, we are what we are."

"Yeah. Somehow I knew you were gonna say that." She pulled her katana from under her coat, then shrugged it off and tossed it aside. "So. Maybe we oughta take this someplace a bit more private?"

He had his sword out and was stretching. "Where did you have in mind?"

Buffy nodded off to her left. "Beach okay with you?"

"Certainly." They both started walking toward the beach, keeping a discrete distance between them. Willow and Tru followed along, sticking to the shadows.

The two Immortals faced off in the sand. Tarsus raised his sword in salute. Buffy returned it, then dropped into a ready stance, blade extended out, low and behind her. Tarsus paused for all of a second, the launched into a flurry of blows that came at Buffy much faster than she was figuring on. She spent several minutes on the defensive while she tried to get a good read on her opponent.

Heeding Tru's warning, she forced herself to keep her usual fight banter in check, focusing on Tarsus and the fight. She started to put some of her Slayer speed and strength behind her blade. Tarsus' only reaction was a raised brow.

Buffy was starting to worry. As good as she was, and she was damned good, this guy was better. Sometimes being a Slayer just wasn't enough when pitted against experience. She wracked her brain, trying to come up with a winning strategy as she threw up a series of blocks to keep him from getting too close.

And then it happened.

She tripped.

Over a piece of driftwood that she hadn't noticed in the half light.

She stumbled, just a bit, diverting her attention for perhaps a split-second.

It was all Tarsus needed. He lunged in, swift and sure, and the fight was over. Tru dragged Willow down as the lightning started flying from Buffy's headless corpse. By the time they looked up again, Tarsus was already running off down the boardwalk.

Tru and Willow staggered to their feet. Willow was staring numbly at what was left of her best friend. Tru started to say something, but froze as she heard a familiar voice. "Awww... Guess that didn't work out so well now, did it?" Tru swung around, and sure enough, there stood Jack.

He walked over to Tru, tossing a small piece of wood from one hand to the other. "Now, gee, I wonder how that chunk of driftwood got there..."

Tru couldn't find her voice. Willow, on the other hand, didn't have that problem. She turned to face Jack, little sparks of white light flickering around her as she fought to control her grief and rage. "_You_ caused this?"

Jack had the good sense to back off a bit. He held up his hands. "Hey, whoa, just doin' my job here."

"And I'm just doing mine." Willow gestured, and Jack found himself flying through the air. And then through a plate glass window. He was blissfully unconscious before he went through the wall...

Willow and Tru knelt by Buffy's body. Tru wrapped an arm around Willow as the young Goddess was wracked by sobs. It was all over. Buffy was gone.

So they were both more than a bit surprised when the bodyless head laying on the ground in front of them opened its eyes and stared at them.

_"Help me!"_

Tru sat bolt upright in her bed. She also heard a thud from the floor beside her. She sat there stunned as Willow sat up, rubbing her head and looking up at Tru wide-eyed.

"Hunh. That was weird..."

_To be continued...

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_

_'To thee no star be dark...'_


	5. Chapter the Fifth

Notes: For any newcomers, this is a BTVS/Tru Calling/Highlander crossover. It continues the storylines established in 'What Are We Gonna Do Now?' and 'Did Somebody Say Something About Not Fading Away?', which also have Stargate SG-1, Charmed and LOTR elements, which may or may not pop up in this fic.

That being said, I just got issue one of Buffy Season Eight the other day, and may I just say, ABOUT DAMN TIME! The Happy Dance did ensue... Anyway, as happy as I am that Master Joss has continued the story of our favorite Slayer and her intrepid band, for the sake of the storyline that I've established, season eight isn't going to happen, at least as far as The Guardian Chronicles are concerned.

Disclaimer: Theirs, not mine. Except for Tarsus. Him, I blame on my muse, who seems to get such a kick out of having me kill Buffy over and over again.

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THE GUARDIAN CHRONICLES : WHEN CALLINGS COLLIDE

By screaminheathen69

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_Chapter the Fifth_

Tru jumped out of her bed, staring wide-eyed at Willow, who was still sitting on the floor looking flummoxed. "How did you _do _that?"

"Do what?"

"Re-wind! Nobody's ever done the do-over with me before!"

Willow giggled. "Done the do-over? That sounds like a dance. Or maybe a little kinky..." She thought about it as she stood up and rubbed her sore behind. "I dunno. Must one of those new Goddess-y powers of mine, I guess."

"You guess? You mean you don't know what your own powers are?"

"Oh, I know a few of them. The rest, I get to discover as I go along. Apparently the Committee is still working on the instruction manual." She grinned brightly. "Learnin' somethin' new everyday!"

Tru stood there for a minute, trying to absorb all the new weirdness that had dropped into her life recently. "Instruction manual?"

"Yup."

"There's a committee working on an instruction manual for godhood?"

"Yup. There are committees everywhere. It's one of the few True Universal Constants. Or so God tells me, anyway." Willow shrugged and made a 'what-can-you-do?' face.

Tru shook her head, bewildered, then threw her hands up in surrender. "Okay. I officially have a weird life. Guess we'd better call Buffy and get the ball rolling. Again."

Willow held a hand up to stop her. "I can take care of that. Umm, maybe you might wanna get dressed? Not that I'm not enjoying the view and all..."

Tru looked down at herself and what she was barely wearing, then back up at the smirking Goddess standing in front of her, still wearing the clothes she had had on before the re-wind. "Oh, for cryin' out loud..." She stalked off to the bathroom and the shower, grumbling.

Chuckling, Willow closed her eyes and called to Buffy through the Wiccan Mind-Meld. _Oh, Buuufffyyy..._

Thirty seven minutes later, a cranky Buffy ushered Tru and Willow into her room. "This had better be good, you guys. I was out slaying 'til the wee hours. I was really looking forward to some quality snooze action."

Willow grinned. "Oh, it's good. Or bad. Probably more bad than good, actually." Buffy glared daggers at Willow, who coughed and gestured at Tru. "First thing's first; Buffy, meet Tru Davies, Tru... Ahh, you know the drill."

Buffy looked Tru up and down, looking like she wanted to say something, but realised that she wasn't getting the Slayer vibe off this woman that looked so much like Faith. "Oh. Um. Hi there. About that whole slaying thing, uhh..."

Willow laughed and plopped down in one of the chairs by the table. "She knows, Buff."

Buffy looked back and forth between Willow and Tru. "She knows? As in..."

Tru grinned. "Your an Immortal Slayer. She's a brand new goddess. And I'm a Time-Jumper."

Buffy just stood there, a bit wide-eyed, before throwing her hands in the air and plodding over to the coffee maker. "It's just too damn early for this."

Two cups later, she felt slightly more alert. "So. What's the big emergency?"

Tru opened her mouth to start the story, but Willow gestured for her to wait. "It'll be quicker if I just link us." She took their hands in hers and closed her eyes, letting the information flow freely amongst them. It only took two minutes to cover two days worth of events.

As Willow released the meld, Tru sat back shaking her head. "Wow. Nice time saver, that."

Willow grinned. "It _has _been pretty darned handy. You okay there, Buffy?"

Buffy shot her a dark look. "Oh, just peachy. Wonderful. Marvelous." She stood up and started pacing. "I'd like to go on record that I'm really, _really_ sick of the whole dying thing. It's just so yesterday."

She closed her eyes, running through the images of the two fights over and over again. "I can't beat this guy."

Willow stopped grinning. "What?"

Buffy sighed and leaned her head against the window. "I don't think I can beat this guy. Slayer or not, he's definitely got the edge. The experience. He can handle anything I can throw at him with a sword."

She slumped onto the bed, thinking furiously. "But, if I'm understanding how this whole re-wind thing works, there has to be at least _some _chance that I can win, right?"

Tru nodded. "Yeah. But it's fifty-fifty. With Jack in the equation, it's just as likely that you won't. Some stupid rule about maintaining the balance," she said disgustedly.

"Great." Buffy laid back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. "Willow, can you get ahold of Duncan?"

Willow closed her eyes, sinking into the Wiccan Mind Meld. "Yup. He says hi."

"Ask him if it'd be all right if we pop over there. I could really use his advice right now, and it'd be a lot easier face to face."

Willow nodded. _Duncan, we've got kind of a problem. Buffy would appreciate it if we could come over there to talk it over with you. Do you mind?_

_No, come whenever you're ready. We're on the barge._

_Thanks! Buffy just needs to get dressed and we'll be right there._

Willow eased out of the meld. "He said to come on over, Buffy."

Buffy sighed, then stood and grabbed some clothes. "Good. Gimme a minute and I'll be ready." She stalked off to the bathroom.

Tru helped herself to a quick cup of coffee. "Who's this Duncan guy?"

"An Immortal. He's sort of been Buffy's mentor since she found out she was one of them. He's over four hundred years old."

Tru stopped mid-sip. "How old?"

"Four hundred and something. I forget when he was born. That's nothing, though. We know another one that's over five thousand!"

Tru just sat there sipping her coffee, once again dumbfounded at just how weird her life had gotten. "Okay, any other little bombs you wanna drop on me? I suppose the next thing you're gonna tell me is that there really are little green men from outer space."

"Actually, they're gray."

Tru's head snapped up. "Huh?"

Buffy, having overheard most of the conversation, stuck her head out of the bathroom. "Oh, yeah! Great guys! Well, most of 'em anyway..."

Willow nodded. "Oh, and you should see them in a conga line!" She started laughing as Tru sat there, her jaw working up and down, but no sounds coming out of her mouth. "I think we broke her, Buffy."

"Looks that way," Buffy said, chuckling. "I'm ready if you are."

"Okey dokey. You ready to go, Tru?"

Tru shook herself out of her stupor, then stood up. "Um, yeah. Sure. Where're we going, anyway?"

Taking Tru and Buffy's hands, Willow closed her eyes and concentrated. "Paris."

"Cool. Wait, _Paris_?"

"Yup. And, here we are." And sure enough, there they were, standing on the riverbank next to Duncan and Kate's barge.

Tru turned a complete circle, flabbergasted. She took a deep breath, then looked at her companions. "I am getting _sooo_ drunk when we get done with all this."

Buffy nudged Willow. "Maybe we should take her to Caritas."

Willow snorted, then started up the plank onto the barge. "Hello the barge! Company's here!"

Half an hour, a late lunch and a quick Wiccan Mind Meld later, Duncan stood up and started pacing. "Tarsus. You would get Tarsus as your first challenger."

Buffy leaned forward. "You know this mook?"

Duncan pulled a face. "Know him? No. Know _of_ him, yes. He's over two thousand years old. He fought with the Spartans at the Battle of Themopylae. Died his First Death there. He's a warrior, born and bred."

He sat back down next to Kate. "He's always had the reputation of being an honorable man. Never been a Headhunter, but he is a firm believer that there can be only one victor in The Game. He doesn't go looking for fights, but whenever he meets another Immortal, he always challenges them."

Duncan sent a sympathetic look at Buffy. "Frankly, from what I've heard in the past, and what you've just shown me, I doubt _I_ could take this guy down."

Buffy crossed her arms and slumped into her chair, pouting. "Peachy. So how am I gonna get good enough to beat this guy in the next few hours? 'Cause, it's pretty obvious there's no way I'm going to beat him in a straight up sword fight. And no, you can't just go zap the guy, Will." Willow closed her mouth and shrugged helplessly.

Kate shifted in her seat, then spoke up. "Forgive me for using such a tired cliche, but you're going to have to think outside the box. At some point, we've all met an opponent that was more skilled than us, but we're still here. I'm sure that's happened to you before, as well."

Buffy shrugged one shoulder. "Sure. But we always figured out something. And there aren't nearly as many rules with slaying as there are with this stupid Game."

She stood up and walked over to look out the porthole. A light shower had just started. "Think outside the box. Right. Okay. I can't beat this guy. He's got the experience. He's better with a sword than I am. He's..." She trailed off, a thought forming. "He's better with a sword than I am..." A wicked grin slowly spread over her face. She faced her friends, a plan coming together in her mind.

Willow smacked Duncan in the arm, a huge smile on her face. "You can almost see a light bulb shining over her head, can't you?"

Buffy rubbed her chin, lost in thought. "Here's what we're gonna do. We're gonna head back, then you two are going to go find this Jack guy and put him out of commission for the rest of the day. That should give me better odds right off the bat."

Tru quirked her brow. "'Out of commision'? Just how out of commission are we talking about?"

"He's human, right?"

Tru scrunched up her face. "Yeah. I suppose you can call him that."

"Then, no, you can't kill him. But, if you should feel the need to beat him severely about the face and ears, well..."

"...We won't shed any tears," Willow finished. Tru grinned a nasty little grin and nodded happily. Willow turned to Buffy. "What about you?"

The wicked grin came back. "Oh, I've got an idea or two. On the way back, we need to make one quick stop..."

_To be continued...

* * *

_

_'To thee no star be dark...'_


	6. Chapter the Sixth

Notes: For those of you that haven't read 'Did Somebody Say Something About Not Fading Away?', Buffy is dating General Jack O'Neill from Stargate SG-1. Just so you don't get Tru's nemesis Jack mixed up with Buffy's squeeze Jack.

Disclaimer: Do I really have to say it? It's theirs, I'm broke, suing me would be silly, etc., etc.

* * *

THE GUARDIAN CHRONICLES : WHEN CALLINGS COLLIDE

By screaminheathen69

* * *

_Chapter the Sixth_

Buffy sat in her hotel room, idly sipping a diet Coke. Willow and Tru had gone off in search of Jack as soon as they got back, and she had decided to relax until it was closer to time to go out and meet Tarsus.

She'd meditated for a bit, or tried to anyway. She couldn't keep her mind still for very long, so eventually she gave up and ordered some room service. She had given some thought to calling Dawn, but decided she didn't want to worry her sister or any of the rest of the group with what was going on. Although she was sure that Duncan had probably called Giles as soon as they teleported off the barge. Dawn was probably already having a cow.

She glanced at her watch. Still another hour before she needed to head out. Maybe another two before she might die.

Again.

Frustrated, she stretched her legs out and tilted her head back, trying to pick out patterns in the dots on the ceiling tiles. _Hope they find that Jack guy. Really don't need him causing me any more grief. This Tarsus mook seems perfectly capable of giving me a seriously bad day all on his own._

Thinking about Tru's nemesis got Buffy to thinking about her own Jack. It had been a couple of weeks since she'd last spoken to him. Things at the SGC had been pretty insane at the time, so they hadn't been able to chat for more than a few minutes. Between Anubis and the Replicators, they pretty much had the full plate thing going on.

Closing her eyes, she sank into the meld and called out to Jack O'Neill. _Jack? You busy right now?_

_That you, Short-Stuff?_

_Who else would it be, Old Man?_

_Ha. Ha. Maybe I'll just go back to these reports. Fascinating reading. SG-21 brought back the coolest mineral samples from P8C-686..._

_Well, if you'd rather do that than chat with your girlfriend..._

_NO! Ahem... No, I would most certainly enjoy chatting with my girlfriend. Love chatting with my girlfriend. Why, just the other day, I was telling Teal'c all about how much I enjoy chatting with my girlfriend. Told him he should make with the chatting more often. Keep himself out of the doghouse with Ishta. Chatting is our friend, I said. Yup._

Buffy grinned. She could almost picture him at his desk with a huge stack of boring reports sitting in front of him. _Well, if you're sure..._

_Hang on a sec, okay? _Jack picked up his phone. "Walter? Do me a favor and hold all my calls for a while. Unless it's an emergency. Okay? Thanks." _There. That should give us a bit._

_Yeah, 'cause you kiddies never have any emergencies down there, right?_

_We are kinda past due. Thanks ever so much for mentioning it, though. As if we don't have enough jinxes around here._

_My bad. Sorry._

_No biggie. So what's up? _

_Just having a bad day. Been missing you. _

_I'd miss me too._

Buffy snorted. _Somebody's full of himself._

_It's what I do._

_That's not the only thing you do._

_True. I dance wonderfully._

_Meh. I was thinking more along the lines of how well you mouth off to all and sundry._

_Well, one must use ones gifts, mustn't one?_

_Gift? You call that a gift?_

_And you don't? I've heard you quipping at the bad guys. I'm dating the Queen of Sarcasm._

_Always wanted to be royalty._

_Oh, you've always been royalty. Royal Pain in the Tuckus, that's you. _

_That so?_

_Or so Dawn tells me. I would never say that..._

_Just did._

_Repeating a thing is not the same as saying a thing._

_Leave it to you to find a loophole._

_Gotta love those loopholes. Every mans best friend._

_Thought dogs were a mans best friend._

_Only for single guys. For us poor schmucks who have significant others, it's loopholes. Keeps us from getting in completely over our heads. Most of the time._

_So what do you poor schmucks do when you get in over your heads?_

_That would be why God invented roses. And diamonds._

_So that's how it works. Suddenly, the universe makes more sense. Truly, you are wise beyond measure._

_It's been said._

_By you, maybe._

_Somebody had to say it first._

_And lord knows you've never had a problem with the speaking up._

_One uses ones gifts. I already said that, didn't I?_

_Poor old guy. Memory must be going._

_Be nice. I'll sick Daniel on you._

_So how is everybody over there?_

_Busy. Things are heating up. I have a feeling things are going to come to a head with the Replicators and Anubis both before much longer. _

_If you need any help, you only have to ask._

_I know. And I appreciate it. I'll try not to need to, though, if you don't mind._

_Sounds like a good plan to me._

_So what's really going on, Squirt? I've been around you long enough to know when something's up._

Sighing, Buffy opened herself up further, letting him see the info that Tru and Willow has shared with her, as well as what she was planning. There was a long silence after.

_Damn, kiddo. You want me to come out there?_

_No. Thanks, but no. I have to see this through. I'm just hoping that if I lose, the day will re-wind again. If not..._

_Yeah. _There came another long silence. _Whoops. Sounds like SG-5 is coming in hot. Gonna have to go._

_Alright. Talk to you... after._

_Okay. Later, then._

_Oh, and Jack... I... Umm..._

_I know, Buffy. Me too._

Jack retreated from the meld and hurried off to the Gate-Room, trying to compartmentalize the worry he felt about Buffy's upcoming fight.

Buffy opened her eyes and checked her watch again. _Close enough. _She put on her coat, tucked away her weapon, and headed out the door, thinking the whole time that she really needed another vacation.

_Lord, but this sucks!_

_To be continued...

* * *

_

_'To thee no star be dark...'_


	7. Chapter the Seventh

Disclaimer: All belongs to them. Me, I'm just havin' some fun...

* * *

THE GUARDIAN CHRONICLES : WHEN CALLINGS COLLIDE

By screaminheathen69

* * *

_Chapter the Seventh_

"You're sure he's here?" Tru asked, staring up at the apartment building that Willow had brought them to.

"Yup. Third floor. Southwest corner," Willow said brightly.

"And you know this how?"

"I got a good read on his aura when I blasted him through the window yesterday. Or is it today? I hate time travel. Anyway, I just followed his aura here. One of those nifty Goddess-y perks."

"Handy. Sign me up for some of those."

Willow pulled a face. "If you'd like. But personally, I found the whole 'dying a horribly painful death in order to ascend' thing rather un-fun. God was really nice, though. Great sense of humor."

"Oh. Never mind. Should we just go up and knock?"

Willow grinned a nasty little grin. "Nah. Let's just pop in unannounced, shall we?" She took Tru's hand and 'ported them into Jack's living room. Right in front of Jack, who froze, thunderstruck.

Tru waved. "Hi, Jack!" She then proceeded to deck him with one punch. "Bye, Jack. Ow." She rubbed her sore hand and looked at Willow. "At least I didn't have to listen to the jerk."

"Big yapper, is he?"

"Loves the sound of his own voice. _So_ irritating."

"Well done, then. Now, let's just make sure he doesn't go anywhere, shall we?" Willow gestured, and Jack floated up to the ceiling, surrounded by glowing bands of violet energy. "There. That'll hold him for a day or so."

Tru stared up at Jack, grinning. "So, there's no way he can get out of that?"

"Not on his own, no. It'd take someone pretty powerful to break the spell."

Tru frowned. "So, he could get out with help?"

"'Fraid so. That's why Buffy wanted us to stay and keep an eye on him until after the fight actually starts. Just in case."

"Oh. Well, guess we've got some time to kill. How's about we check out what jerk-boy has in the fridge?"

"Sounds vaguely plan-like to me."

They headed for the kitchen. Tru nudged Willow. "And maybe you can fill in some of the blanks about you guys while we're waiting."

Willow shrugged. "I can start. Might be able to cover some of it before it's time to go." She popped her head in the fridge. "Oooo! He has Yoo-Hoo!"

Drinks and snacks in hand, they sat at the kitchen table. After a bit, Tru looked Willow in the eye. "You think Buffy's plan will work? Really?"

Willow sighed and cupped her chin in her hands. "I hope so. I don't know how many times the universe will let the day rewind."

Tru glanced at her watch. "I guess we'll know a few hours from now."

"Yeah." Willow sighed again, then brightened up and took a swig of her Yoo-Hoo. "So, history lesson! Where to start? Oh, I know... Sophomore year at Sunnydale High School..."

_To be continued

* * *

_

_'To thee no star be dark...'_


	8. Chapter the Eighth

Disclaimer: Hmmm... Tryin' to think of an appropriately snarky disclaimer-y comment... I'll get back to ya later, okay?

* * *

THE GUARDIAN CHRONICLES : WHEN CALLINGS COLLIDE

By screaminheathen69

* * *

_Chapter the Eighth_

"Hiya, Tarsus. It's about time you showed up."

Tarsus stopped and gave Buffy an odd look indeed. "How did..."

Buffy waved a hand. "Long story. I'd be happy to tell you all about it, but I'm sure you wanna get on with the fightin' part of the evening."

Tarsus gave her a half smile. "Certainly. Shall we find someplace a bit more private? The beach, perhaps?"

"Nah. Right here's fine." Buffy stomped her foot on the pavement. "Better footing. Sand's just a little too give-y for my taste." _Not to mention it's not nearly as well lit over there. There will be no more of the tripping over sticks by this little Slayer!_

Tarsus nodded and started shucking his coat. Buffy stood back and watched him take a few warm up swings with his blade. "Before we start, there is one thing I'd like to know."

Tarsus tucked his blade into a ready position and nodded agreeably. "I will answer if I can."

"How did you know I was Immortal? Nobody else has been able to figure it out."

"I did not know that _you_ were the Immortal I sought until I got close to you. I had, however, heard rumors of an Immortal Slayer, and that she might be in this city for a time. In all my life, I have never heard tell of an Immortal Slayer. It occured to me that such a creature would be a truly formidable opponent, so I decided to search you out. Since I already knew that I was searching for an Immortal Slayer, I was better able to distinguish between your Slayer and Immortal auras."

"Hmmph. Wait a second. Rumors? There are rumors about me being an Immortal?"

Tarsus gave her that half smile again. "Not you specifically. But word is spreading though the underworld that there is an Immortal Slayer somewhere in the world. And that, my dear, makes you an extremely tempting target."

Buffy pulled a face. "Yeah, we figured that'd be the case. Great. Like I don't have enough problems already."

Tarsus laughed. "If you'd like, I can take care of all your problems right now."

"Thanks. 'Preciate the offer. But I think maybe not." Buffy pulled her weapon from under her coat. "At least, not if me an' Mr. Slicey here have anything to say about it."

Tarsus actually took a step back. "What is _that_?"

"The Scythe. It was made for the Slayer a really long time ago." She shrugged out of her coat and gave the Scythe a few experimental swings, sending it whistling through the air. "It usually stays on the Hellmouth, but I figured tonight was a special occasion."

"So that is the weapon the witch used to empower the Slayers."

Buffy gave him a surprised look. "You know about that?"

He shrugged and gave her a wry grin. "Word spreads fast in the underworld. After I have defeated you, I will return it to the Slayers guarding the Hellmouth. I have no desire to take away one of your most powerful weapons."

Buffy quirked a brow. "I appreciate the thought, but I think you may be just a wee bit premature with the whole declaration of victory thing."

"Sorry. Old habit. Shall we?"

"Oh, why the Hell not?" Buffy took a deep breath, reached somewhere deep down inside...

...And let the Slayer loose. Raw, pure unbridled power and instinct. All aimed at one particular (and rather surprised) individual.

Tarsus suddenly found himself in the fight of his life. He had millenia of experience, and it took every bit of it to stay one stroke ahead of the killing machine he now faced.

Buffy felt disconnected from the rest of the world. Her vision narrowed down into a tunnel, every sense focussed completely on Tarsus, his sword, the environment surrounding them.

And she danced. She moved with the strength, speed, fluidity and grace that was her inheritance from the untold generations of Slayers that had come before. The last time she had felt anything like this was when last she faced Adam.

It didn't take Tarsus too long to realise that he just might have made a mistake.

Even so, the fight drug on for nearly twenty minutes. Until he tried to block a particularly vicious blow from the Scythe. His sword shattered, leaving him stunned. Buffy carried her arc through, ending up behind Tarsus, who found himself staring down at the stake end of the Scythe where it jutted out of his chest.

Buffy seemed to come back to herself. "We can end this right now, you know. I really don't want to kill you. Someone with your experience could be a huge help to us."

Tarsus actually laughed, coughing up blood. "Join you in your quest to save the world? No, I don't think so. I respect you, and those who fight alongside you, but that isn't me."

"Okay. Fine. But I still don't wanna kill you."

Tarsus looked at her over his shoulder. "You must. There can be only one. If you do not finish this now, I _will_ come after you again."

Buffy grimaced, then sighed. "There's just no talkin' you out of this, is there?"

"No. Not really."

"All right. I'll try to do this quick." Buffy tightened her grip on the Scythe, preparing to yank it out of his back.

"Thank you. And, for what it's worth, I wish you good fortune in all your future battles."

They shared one last look, then Buffy pulled the Scythe out, took one step back, and swung.

Despite everything Duncan and her other Immortal friends had told her about the Quickening, Buffy was totally unprepared for the actual experience. It was pain. It was pleasure. It was power. It was all that, and more, much more.

Buffy collapsed to the pavement as the lightning faded, gasping for breath. She realised she'd been screaming. Or laughing. She wasn't sure which. She rolled over onto her back, staring up at the stars. She could feel the power of the Quickening flowing through her, making her stronger. If she focussed, she thought she could even pick up fragments of Tarsus' memories. It was strange, but interesting.

As her breathing evened out, a happy realisation slowly flooded over her. "I'm still alive! _Yes_!"

She stood and dusted herself off before picking up the Scythe. She walked over to Tarsus' remains and knelt down. "I'm sorry. I didn't want this." She bowed her head briefly in respect, then straightened up and called out through the Wiccan Mind meld. _Hey Will, guess what..._

* * *

One more chapter, I think...

_'To thee no star be dark...'_


	9. Epilogue

Notes: Yes, I know. It's been two years since I updated this. There was… stuff. Real life. Who knew? Anyway, I'm having back surgery in a couple of days, so maybe the whole real life thing'll start running a wee bit smoother. I hope. Lots.

Thanks for being patient, and here's the finale. ;)

Disclaimer: It's the disclaimer. 'Nuff said.

____________________________________________________________________

THE GUARDIAN CHRONICLES: WHEN CALLINGS COLLIDE

By screaminheathen69

_____________________________________________________________________

_Epilogue_

All's well that ends well, or so the saying goes.

Buffy certainly thought so, what with the whole 'not getting her head lopped off' thing. Definitely fell into the 'well-ended' category.

After defeating Tarsus, Buffy had Willow teleport her into Jack's office at the SGC. She was feeling the need for some serious post-slayage celebrating. And Jack was _great _with the celebrating.

Jack would remember the day fondly for years, as Woolsey had been there on yet another one of his 'fact-finding' missions (which mostly consisted of giving Jack a migraine). When Buffy had popped into existence in the middle of the office, Woolsey had screamed. Well, screeched, really.

Loudly. And high pitched. Bordering on ultra-sonic.

Or, as Jack put it, 'like a widdle-biddy school girl'.

There might even have been just the tiniest bit of pee.

Jack's only regret was that he didn't have it on tape.

Willow, after returning the Scythe to Rona in Cleveland, took Tru back to Devon with her. Willow was hoping to dig up some more information about time jumping for Tru, and Tru was looking forward to meeting Faith.

They hit it off instantly, and spent the next two weeks messing with everybody by dressing the same so they could be in two places at once. The only one that wasn't fooled was Robin. Which was probably a good thing, what with being married to a Slayer and all.

They even popped in on Tru's brother Harrison. They spent the better part of the afternoon messing with him before finally taking pity and cluing him in, the poor boy. Davis was a bit harder to mess with. Mostly, he just found the whole thing fascinating.

It turned out that Faith and Tru were distant cousins. Identical cousins, no less. Which inevitably led to Xander singing the theme from the 'Patty Duke show'. Which in turn led to him getting smacked upside the head.

He really should know better by now.

After Tru went home, life got back to what, for her, was more or less normal. She stayed in touch with her new friends, and planned to visit as often as possible. Now that she knew she had more family in the world, she intended to hang on to them tight. She couldn't get enough of Faith's daughters, Hope and Joy.

And the occasional extra muscle helping out with her Calling? That was pretty sweet too. Nothing like being tight with Slayers, witches, vampires, and even a Goddess to make your life a bit more manageable.

A month or so after Buffy's duel with Tarsus, Willow popped in at Tru's. After an hour (or so) of catching up on all the gossip, Willow got serious. "Okay, so you know how I was trying to find out what I could about your Calling?"

"Sure. Any luck?"

"Yes, actually. I finally had to pop up _there_," she pointed Heavenward, "and have a little chat with Her."

"Her? As in 'God'?"

"Yup. Big fan of your work, by the way. Anyhoo, She was just chock-full of juicy info. Turns out there have been Time-Jumpers for thousands of years. You, my dear, are a very important player in the Balance."

Tru pulled a face and settled back into the couch. "The Balance?"

"Yup. The Balance. Very important, balance." Tru snorted. Willow chuckled and pressed on. "There are always two, one serving life, and one serving death. Which you already new, but anyway."

"Only two?"

"Yup."

"Well, that just seems dumb. Why only two?"

Willow shrugged. "Who knows? Makes about as much sense as 'one girl in all the world', but that seems to be how the Powers That Be Idiots work."

Willow finished her coffee, then set her cup down. "The thing that's been bugging me is the part where Jack comes out of the re-wind with all the knowledge he needs to do his job, but you're not getting anything. Just doesn't seem fair."

Tru chuckled. "Right there with ya, Red. Makes things a real pain in the ass."

"I'll bet. But here's the thing; You _should_ wake up with all the info just like Jack."

Tru sat up. "Seriously? So why aren't I? Am I doing something wrong?"

"Nope. I think you're being blocked. That's what I'm here for, to see if that's the case, and see if I can fix it."

Tru made a 'come on' gesture. "Have at it. Anything to make this easier."

Willow knelt in front of Tru and touched her fingertips to Tru's temples. "Just relax. This shouldn't hurt a bit."

"_Shouldn't?"_

Willow shrugged. "Depends on what's actually going on. Now hush." She closed her eyes and concentrated, letting out the occasional 'hmm' every once in a while.

After a few minutes, she sat back on her heels and grinned. "Okay! I've seen this before. It's a variation on the same spell a certain Baddie used on a friend of mine once." She waved her hand over Tru's eyes twice and muttered something in ancient Sumerian. "There you go!"

"I don't feel any different."

"You shouldn't. But the next time you re-wind, you should get the full info download. If you don't, call me, and we'll try something else."

Tru smiled and got up. "Okey-dokey. No download, call in the Goddess Repair Service. Got it." She picked up the coffee cups and started for the kitchen. "I'm meeting Harry for lunch in about an hour. Wanna come with? He _says_ he's treating."

Willow looked at the clock, calculating the time difference. "Sure. Thought oughta work out fine. That'll let me get back in time for my date with Kennedy."

"Dinner and a movie?"

"Nope. Dancing, dancing and more dancing." Willow grinned. "It's nice that I can keep up with the Slayer stamina nowadays."

Tru laughed. "Oh yeah?"

"Yup. In fact, I've been known to outlast _her_. Wonderful thing, this whole Goddess business." Willow wiggled her eyebrows and gave a little shimmy.

"Sounds handy," Tru said, still laughing.

"You know it…"

____________________________________________

A few days later Tru got her next re-wind. Upon waking up with all the information she needed, she whooped, jumped out of bed and did a victory dance, grateful once again for her new friends.

And then she set out to save the life of one Suzy Simpson, the ATF agent who was going to die in a drug raid gone bad.

Tru couldn't help but notice just how much Suzy Simpson looked like a certain red-headed Goddess she was acquainted with, but she just shrugged it off…

_________________________________________________________

See? Toldja I'd get around to finishing this thing. Hope you liked it.

(Bonus points if you know where Suzy Simpson comes from)

Back surgery in a few days (God help me), so wish me luck!

Later! ;)

'_To thee no star be dark…'_


End file.
